Near Crewe test centre
Rated easy from its real manoeuvre load, 3 roundabouts, 13 turns and 3 signalled junctions across 18 navigation steps.
This is an independent 23.5 km practice loop near Crewe test centre, taking roughly 25 min to drive. It is NOT an official DVSA examiner route, the DVSA does not publish those, but it uses the same local roads and junction types an examiner is likely to choose.
Along the way you'll meet Alvaston Roundabout. Knowing the approach, lane and exit at each one before you arrive is the difference between a planned manoeuvre and a last-second reaction, and last-second reactions are where avoidable faults come from.
On this route you’ll practise multiple roundabouts, dual-carriageway joins, national-speed roads, 20 mph zones, changing speed limits, residential manoeuvres, busy a-roads and independent driving. Driving it a few times before your test builds the muscle memory that frees up attention for observation and decision-making on the day.
The loop is anchored by 20 catalogued landmarks, including pubs, shops, churches and named junctions, so you can navigate it from recognisable features rather than a memorised turn list. Rehearsing it in this way means that on test day the area already feels familiar, and your attention is free for the traffic rather than the map.
Whatever the route, your practical test follows the same national shape: an eyesight check, a couple of vehicle-safety questions, around forty minutes of general driving, one reversing manoeuvre chosen by the examiner, and roughly twenty minutes of independent driving following signs or a sat-nav. Practising on roads like these is how you make each of those elements feel routine rather than new.
Treat this route as practice, not a script. The value is not in repeating one fixed sequence but in getting comfortable with the road types, speed changes and junction patterns of the area around Crewe test centre, so that whatever order your examiner chooses on the day, none of it is unfamiliar. Drive it a few times, focus on smooth observation and planning, and it becomes one more stretch of road you already know, which is exactly the kind of preparation that turns nerves into confidence.
If you are practising with a supervising driver rather than an instructor, take it steadily: agree the manoeuvre spots in advance, keep to a comfortable pace, and stop to talk through anything that felt rushed. And remember the basics that apply on every road, mirrors before any change of speed or direction, signals in good time, and a following distance that gives you room to react. Those habits travel with you long after the test is passed.
What you’ll actually do on this loop, counted from its turn-by-turn directions.
This route helps you practise:
Road mix
The full 82-step drive on real, named roads (about 23.4 km). An indicative practice loop, not an official DVSA route — the roads and junctions are real, the sequence is a rehearsal.
Drive west on Nile Street.
Nile Street130 m
Turn right onto Walthall Street.
Walthall Street611 m
Turn left onto Wistaston Road.
Wistaston Road217 m
Turn right onto Flag Lane.
Flag Lane273 m
Turn left onto Harrison Drive.
Harrison Drive123 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Harrison Drive.
10 m
Exit the roundabout onto Harrison Drive.
Harrison Drive69 m
Turn right onto Dunwoody Way/A5078.
Dunwoody Way394 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Dunwoody Way/A5078.
50 m
Exit the roundabout onto Dunwoody Way/A5078.
Dunwoody Way87 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Dunwoody Way/A5078.
47 m
Exit the roundabout onto Dunwoody Way/A5078.
Dunwoody Way267 m
Keep right to stay on Dunwoody Way/A5078.
Dunwoody Way477 m
Turn left onto Ken Wooley Road.
Ken Wooley Road67 m
Turn left.
82 m
Turn left.
76 m
Turn right onto West Street/A532.
West Street784 m
Turn left onto Ford Lane.
Ford Lane245 m
Turn right onto Ford Close.
Ford Close84 m
Make a right U-turn to stay on Ford Close.
Ford Close84 m
Turn left onto Ford Lane.
Ford Lane51 m
Turn right onto Walker Street.
Walker Street251 m
Make a right U-turn to stay on Walker Street.
Walker Street251 m
Turn left onto Ford Lane.
Ford Lane51 m
Turn right onto Ford Close.
Ford Close120 m
Turn right onto Ford Lane.
Ford Lane56 m
Turn right onto Badger Avenue.
Badger Avenue263 m
Turn left onto Broad Street.
Broad Street972 m
Move left onto North Street/B5076.
North Street343 m
Keep straight to stay on B5076.
B50761.6 km
Keep right to stay on Bradfield Road/B5076.
Bradfield Road134 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Flowers Lane/B5076.
32 m
Exit the roundabout onto Flowers Lane/B5076.
Flowers Lane213 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Flowers Lane/B5076.
15 m
Exit the roundabout onto Flowers Lane/B5076.
Flowers Lane811 m
Turn left onto A530/Middlewich Road.
A530463 m
Keep right to stay on A530/Middlewich Road.
A530232 m
Keep right to stay on A530/Middlewich Road.
A530188 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto A530/Middlewich Road.
43 m
Exit the roundabout onto A530/Middlewich Road.
A530536 m
Keep right to stay on A530/Middlewich Road.
A53093 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto A530/Middlewich Road.
29 m
Exit the roundabout onto A530/Middlewich Road.
A53085 m
Keep left to stay on A530/Middlewich Road.
A530149 m
Keep right to stay on A530/Middlewich Road.
A530114 m
Keep right to stay on A530/Middlewich Road.
A530734 m
Keep left to stay on A530/Middlewich Road.
A530512 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto A530/Middlewich Road.
71 m
Exit the roundabout onto A530/Middlewich Road.
A5302.6 km
Enter Alvaston Roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Middlewich Road/B5334.
Alvaston Roundabout39 m
Exit the roundabout onto Middlewich Road/B5334.
Middlewich Road170 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Middlewich Road/B5334.
32 m
Exit the roundabout onto Middlewich Road/B5334.
Middlewich Road26 m
Keep left to stay on Middlewich Road/B5334.
Middlewich Road146 m
Turn left to stay on Middlewich Road.
Middlewich Road23 m
Turn right to stay on Middlewich Road.
Middlewich Road143 m
Make a right U-turn to stay on Middlewich Road.
Middlewich Road105 m
Keep right to stay on Middlewich Road.
Middlewich Road37 m
Turn left to stay on Middlewich Road.
Middlewich Road23 m
Turn right onto Middlewich Road/B5334.
Middlewich Road173 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Middlewich Road/B5334.
49 m
Exit the roundabout onto Middlewich Road/B5334.
Middlewich Road159 m
Enter Alvaston Roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto A530/Middlewich Road.
Alvaston Roundabout65 m
Exit the roundabout onto A530/Middlewich Road.
A53031 m
Keep right to stay on A530/Middlewich Road.
A5302.5 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto West Street/A532.
92 m
Exit the roundabout onto West Street/A532.
West Street102 m
Keep right to stay on West Street/A532.
West Street599 m
Turn left onto Sunnybank Road.
Sunnybank Road51 m
Turn left onto Coppenhall Lane.
Coppenhall Lane126 m
Turn right onto Sunnybank Road.
Sunnybank Road51 m
Turn left onto West Street/A532.
West Street242 m
Turn right onto Victoria Avenue.
Victoria Avenue1.4 km
Turn right onto Stewart Street.
Stewart Street430 m
Turn left onto Gainsborough Road.
Gainsborough Road125 m
Turn left onto Clydesdale Avenue.
Clydesdale Avenue180 m
Turn left onto Jubilee Avenue.
Jubilee Avenue79 m
Turn right onto Stewart Street.
Stewart Street100 m
Turn right onto Alton Street.
Alton Street65 m
Keep left to stay on Alton Street.
Alton Street641 m
Turn right onto Walthall Street.
Walthall Street270 m
You have arrived at your destination.
Directions for the Crewe · Route 2 loop. Always drive to the road and conditions you see, not the list — signs, signals and other traffic take priority.
These are the real named features along the loop, straight from our route catalogue. Use them to recognise where you are and to anticipate the hazard each one brings, not to memorise a fixed order.
Decide your lane and exit on the approach to each of these, get set up early.
Useful navigation anchors on the loop.
Pedestrian crossings and parked cars are common nearby.
Easy landmarks to navigate the loop by.
Frequent stop-start traffic and pedestrians, keep your speed down.
Multiple roundabouts
Watch your lane discipline and signalling at Alvaston Roundabout. Get into the correct lane early and check your exit mirror before leaving.
Dual-carriageway join
About 8.6 km of this loop is dual carriageway. Build your speed on the slip road, take an effective rearward observation, and merge without forcing other traffic to brake.
Changing speed limits
Limits change across this route (20, 30, 40, 50, 60 mph). Watch for repeater signs and adjust early, examiners mark you down for carrying the wrong speed into a new limit.
Residential streets
Narrow residential roads mean parked cars, pedestrians and reduced visibility. Cover the brake, keep your speed down and be ready to give way.
Navigate by these 20 catalogued landmarks rather than a memorised turn list, an indicative loop, not an official DVSA route.
Earl of Chester
Start near Earl of Chester.
Four Eagles
Continue to Four Eagles.
KFC
Continue to KFC.
Cheshire Raw Dog Food
Continue to Cheshire Raw Dog Food.
St Barnabas
Continue to St Barnabas.
White Lion
Continue to White Lion.
Wolverton Arms
Continue to Wolverton Arms.
Bridge Inn
Continue to Bridge Inn.
Broad Street Stores
Continue to Broad Street Stores.
Bradfield Road Methodist Church
Continue to Bradfield Road Methodist Church.
Horse Shoe
Continue to Horse Shoe.
Heron Foods
Continue to Heron Foods.
Rising Sun
Continue to Rising Sun.
Alvaston Roundabout
Continue to Alvaston Roundabout, taking the junction with good observation.
TG Builders Merchants
Continue to TG Builders Merchants.
Corner Store
Continue to Corner Store.
Jewson
Continue to Jewson.
Victoria Gardens
Continue to Victoria Gardens.
All Saints Parish Church
Continue to All Saints Parish Church.
Richard Mullock & Sons
Finish back near Richard Mullock & Sons, completing the loop.
7 roundabouts · 11 turns · 3 sets of lights
1 roundabout · 17 turns · 1 set of lights
3 roundabouts · 15 turns · 3 sets of lights
5 roundabouts · 15 turns · 5 sets of lights
This route is 23.5 km and takes about 25 min to drive at a steady learner pace. It is an independent practice loop near Crewe test centre, not an official DVSA route.